It’s very difficult to live blog from Anderson Arena in Bowling Green, as I found out last night.

Sitting behind a huge, chipped-orange-painted concrete beam, I constantly craned my neck to see what was going on at the far end of the court.

And what I saw was a loss for the Kent State men’s basketball team, as the Flashes found out it is also very difficult to win in Anderson Arena if you are an opposing team.

Yes, Kent State lost in Bowling Green’s house of horrors for the second straight year when Tyree Evans’ prayer at the buzzer did not get answered.

The loss might not be as embarrassing as last season’s, when the Flashes entered Anderson Arena with a national ranking and exited with nothing but a loss, but it starts just the same.

After all, Kent State entered last night’s game riding high on an eight-game winning streak and had pulled to within one game of Mid-American Conference East-leading Buffalo.

Still, though, the loss isn’t the end of the world for the Flashes as they head into the final three games of the regular season. In fact, it isn’t even the end of their chances for a bye in the MAC Tournament.

Last night’s loss didn’t change much for Kent State. Because Buffalo also lost last night, the Flashes remain just one game out of first place in the MAC East. If the team wins its final three games of the season, it has an outside shot at winning the division for the second season in a row.

But even if that doesn’t happen, who cares? This team’s goal shouldn’t be winning the MAC East. It should be winning the MAC Tournament.

Even with last night’s loss, the Flashes have as good a chance as any team of winning the MAC Tournament. They’re playing their best basketball of the season at the most crucial time.eight straight wins don’t lie, do they?

In fact, last night’s defeat might actually help the Flashes in the long run. Losses have a funny way of motivating basketball teams during the stretch run of the season.

That’s what happened last season, when Kent State responded to its loss at Bowling Green by winning its final two games of the regular season and sweeping through the MAC Tournament.

Could it happen again this season? It’s impossible to know right now, but senior guard Jordan Mincy certainly seemed to be motivated after last night’s game.

“Everybody’s got to man up, one through 12,” Mincy said. “We’ve just got to come out and play to the best of our ability. You can’t let the game just slip away.”

That’s the type of attitude the Flashes need if they want to make a run in the MAC Tournament.

And if the team does just that? Well, I hear Quicken Loans Arena is a much easier place to live blog from.

Contact sports editor Doug Gulasy at [email protected].